Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
By Joel Reyes
The San Antonio Spurs stretched their unbeaten run to five games, trouncing the Los Angeles Lakers 136-108 on Wednesday (PH time) at Crypto.com Arena.
The Spurs made mincemeat of a Lakers team that was without key players Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton, and Marcus Smart as they improved their record to 37-16.
The Spurs quickly asserted their dominance, building a 47-30 lead after the first quarter. Victor Wembanyama nearly matched the Lakers’ entire offensive production during that period, scoring 25 points on 8-for-9 shooting. It was the Frenchman’s new career-high in points for a quarter.
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
The Spurs continued to pile on the pressure in the second quarter, outscoring the Lakers 37-25 to build a commanding 84-55 lead at the half. San Antonio never looked back after that as it cruised to its 17th away win of the season.
Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Wembanyama finished the game with a monster double-double, scoring 40 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He shot 13-for-20 from the field and 10-for-12 from the free-throw line. He managed to produce those numbers despite sitting the final 16:13 of the contest.
Luke Kennard and Drew Timme led Los Angeles' offense, each dropping 14 points. Jaxson Hayes added 13 points for the Lakers, who fell to 32-21 following the heavy home defeat.